Monthly Archives: August 2015

I have been very lax these past 2 weeks, extending “island time” to my blog writing and then on top of that my day job is in the middle of fiscal year end and you can only imagine the horrors and night terrors that drive that engine! So I end up in heap at the end of the day looking a little like this….

I’ll try to do better and will be back with some new items soon! While you’re waiting, here’s what happened in August!

This is how Hollywood does polo! Remember? For some of us, it’s the only polo game we ever saw!

Until now…

This is how Newport RI does polo!

There are bars, there are cocktails, there’s tailgating…it’s a hoot!

The grass is better and softer than ANY rug I have ever been standing on…Veuve Clicquot is a major sponsor…players each have a couple of ponies because they get swapped out mid chukka ( that’s the match), but the game is very easy to keep track of and moves very quickly ( duh, it’s on horseback…) it’s incredibly posh. But even like Vivian, there’s some rooting for favorite teams!

Mid match all the children run onto the field to replace the divits that hooves and polo mallets have created. And at the end all the home team players take a lap around the boards and high five the fans!

It’s a fun afternoon and if you don’t reserve a space for tailgating or in the pavilions, admission is totally inexpensive at $12 general admission. For more info go to http://www.nptpolo.com/

We visited the Nantucket Whaling Museum while we were away and one of the exhibits was an embroidery project taken on by local craftspeople to design and illustrate via embroidery, a panel that depicts a significant scene from Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”.

Unbelievable attention to detail and creativity exhibited here! I’ve inserted some of the best photos I could capture!

They all used the same fabrics and font for the script, but from what I could gather, the design and stitching was up to the craftsperson. Look at the beading that creates the white whale above and the little stars in some scene! Such craftsmanship deserves a round of applause!

Cleaning out the fridge in anticipation of a few days at the beach. (More on that later!)

A package of veggie burgers, a quickly withering avocado, the end of the bag of mixed field greens, a skim of lemon hummus a lonely jalapeño (hiding) and a handful of truck farm tomatoes (not pictured, they were having their hair done…)

Here’s how it went down…

Sliced the seeded jalapeño on the mandoline till it was thinny, thin, thin

Added it to 2 tbsp of olive oil, 1 of red wine vinegar, juice of 1/2 of a lime, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, ground black pepper

For This…

I had some leftover ANGELCOTS and a few native apricots along with some raspberries and didn’t want to fuss making jam or chutney. So I produced a pile of pots and pans making fruit curd…so incredibly yummy!

I washed and sorted the fruits and pitted the stone fruits. Then I dumped them into my enameled le Creuset and put it on low heat.

I cooked the fruit down until very soft and pulpy.
Then into the trusty food mill. It reduces everything down and separates the skin. Like a manual juice press…

I was left with this, still has some seeds in it.

So I put it through another fine sieve and put it back in the pot and added a 1/2 cup sugar. Stirred till thick and glossy.

Meanwhile back on the stove I had whisked 2 egg yolks and one whole egg together in a bowl and tempered them with about 2 tablespoons of the hot fruit drizzled in a little at a time.

I put the eggs into my copper saucepan and whisked in the remainder if the fruit.

Finally, I whisked in 4 tablespoons of butter and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla paste.

I let it cook until thick. If it coats the back of a spoon and you can leave a track in it with your finger, you know it’s done!

I just had to lick the spoon. The curd is sweet and silky and I’m saving this for our seaside cottage rental next week! Can’t wait to try it on a scone!

I had both zucchini and ground chicken that needed to be dealt with before going over the edge, so on the verge of the weekend, after wrestling my email to a draw, I got busy making these chicken meatball stackers.

I started by mixing the ground chicken with shredded mozzarella, panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. I got them started cooking in some olive oil, garlic and finely chopped basil. At the same time I caramelized four thick slices of zucchini in olive oil and cooked them till soft and set aside.

After the meatballs were cooked through I set them aside also and deglazed the pan with red wine and then added a huge tomato from the farm stand that I had rough chopped. I put some extra garlic in also.

I cooked the tomatoes until I had a thickened sauce and the added a tiny bit of cream to smooth out the taste.

Stack a meatball on each slice of zucchini and top with a bit of buffalo mozzarella and then give it a little melt under the broiler. Finally, top with the tomato sauce !